concoursec | (no subject)

Entry tags:

sonic: espio the chameleon

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Characters: Espio and Ace
Location: Out.
Rating: PG/Pg-13? Might be some cursing.
Open/Closed/Finished: Closed.
Summary: Ace is tired of feeling like crap, and more over he's tired of watching Espio wallow in his own crap. So after learning where his room was through Namur and Thatch, he decided to go kidnap the chameleon and take him out like a good older brother should do.

Ace strolled through the halls of Gardens dorms heading to specific room. He knocked twice and waited, rocking back and forth on his heels for Espio to answer. He was tired of being mopey and tired of watching Espio mope too. Even though he and Toby had supposedly talked it really didn't seem to do much in lifting the pink ones spirits. Well Ace was going to change all that. Toby was Nakama and Ace hated seeing anyone; especially Nakama unhappy. So what better way to cheer someone up then kidnap them and force them to have fun!?

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"That would only make me more determined to get to know you. I like challenges. Besides I'm used to cranky people. No way you could be worse then Marco on a bad day." Ace mused as he poured them both a glass of rum from the bottle placed on the table.

"Then that sounds like you would be alone for a very long time. And unhappy. You're not used to people giving a damn about you, are you?"

"I have friends. Just not in large quantities - never have done, even back home. Things are a bit harder on this planet."

He sat back a little, looking at the glass of rum, wondering whether or not to actually drink it. Maybe a sip.

"You sure about that? Even Marco takes issue with the fact I'm a hero by profession - I fight criminals, support the police and believe in justice."

"I have my own justice I follow too. But in all fairness, the world government where I come from...wanted me dead before I was even born. Where else was I supposed to go?" Ace mused. "The way I see it, if I wanted to be a free man...I didn't really have another choice." He wasn't quite sure why he was sharing all of this with Espio..but he thought it might help relate to the chameleon.

"It's not a bad thing. It's not something I would hate you for. People are different for a reason but that doesn't mean that we couldn't be friends."

Heh. If Ace was watching Espio's face, he might have caught the tiniest glimpse of a smile - it really was just a flash, however. "Well, at least one person sort of gets it, but sort of getting it and really understanding it aren't quite the same."

Well, Tobias sort of got it, too, but Espio wasn't counting him - only the pirates he'd somehow become entangled with.

"I'm not the person to ask about your world government's perspective. I'm not in a position to know - all I have gathered is that their justice is something far apart from my world's."

"What does justice mean to you, Espio?" Ace asked softly. He was genuinely curious as to what he was thinking. To him, it seemed as though the chameleon was simply making excuses for not wanting to befriend Ace. He took a deep drink of rum, waiting to see what Espio had to say.

"Ultimately, it comes down to protecting people. All people. Even the criminals themselves. It doesn't matter if I know them, and it doesn't matter if I do. As long as they are safe and allowed to live their lives. Crimes should be punished, and if that person is a proven danger - a threat to people - then yes, take their freedom... but they still have a life to live, and one day they may change and grow and do something amazing.

"I can count the number of truly irredeemable people I've met on one hand. Super Sonic. Shadow. Sidewinder comes close... but he might have been genuinely mentally ill and can't help it."

Again, Espio shook his head.

"I'm also not a big believer in sacrifices. It's one thing to put the lives of yourself and your team on the line, but to throw people into life threatening situations they don't need to be in without giving them the choice? Children especially. That's the part that pisses people off here - the fact I don't believe in making kids suffer under the pretence of making them stronger. Because they're in this school, being trained for combat, blahblahblah. Yeah, because they totally had the ability to make an informed choice on being here, right? And they've totally reached a point in their training they're able to make a significant contribution."

He sighed. "There are people who say they get it. That they understand where I'm coming from. But all of those people... ultimately decided that I was wrong, or naive, or stupid, or all of them. People claim they support things, but their actions say otherwise."

Ace listened acutely to Espio's reasoning and he found he actually agreed with it. In his mind that was how it should be as well. This is the reason Absolute Justice was flawed. It was true. Crimes should be punished. But that would have to mean that no one was above the law. Unfortunately, there were too many people in Ace's world who considered themselves above it.

Ace was a pirate because being a pirate meant freedom. A chance to choose his own destiny and not the one others wished to thrust upon him. He understood not punishing children for the crimes of their parents. He understood giving them a safe environment...teaching them to be good people. Mostly...mostly because he never had that at all.

"The man who sired me...was the King of the Pirates. The world Government considered him an abomination. A horrid excuse for a human being so they executed him. They caught wind there was a possibility he could have sired a child. So they started a massive man hunt...killing thousands of innocent children from women with any ties to him. My mother...my mother carried me inside of her for 20 months to protect me. But in the end it really didn't matter. They knew who I was....and that was the reason they tried to kill me too."

"That's stupid. What is killing a damn baby ever gonna achieve? Let alone a bunch of people guilty of nothing more than, I dunno, talking to some guy. Maybe not even that.

"No person can be defined by their bloodline."

"I agree, it is stupid. But to them...eradicating the blood line solves the problem? It's flawed logic. Children don't get to choose who brings them into the world. They don't ask to be born. I'm a pirate because I didn't have another choice to be free. Not because my sire was a pirate." Takes a long drink of rum.

"My world wasn't free of the concept... but it is free of the judgement for it. I have friends who followed in their family's footsteps, but that's because they wanted to."

He finally bothered to drink.

"Bloodlines aren't the only thing people get judged for, though. Here, in this world, you're judged and hated for being another species, from another world, or simply because you can do something strange and unusual. But... opinions of the people aside, we're still allowed to live. We have our opportunities cut down, but only nutjob vigilante-types decide we shouldn't live.

"Doesn't make people hating you feel better, though."

"I hear that. I was 10 years old and younger beating up grown men for saying horrid things about me." Ace gave a dry chuckle. "The funny thing is, none of them ever knew they were talking about me. You see I hate Roger. I hate him with every fiber of my being. But no one else is allowed to talk about him..because he doesn't mean anything personal to them. He's just a man who was a criminal."

Espio frowned. There was talk - there was always going to be talk. And he was used to that... but...

"Talking is not a crime. People can have their opinions and thoughts, but no matter how wrong they have the facts, it's not wrong to think - that's why I respond with words, not action... not until they turn it into a fight."

Tilts his head slightly, apparently a little amused. "And there was little twelve-year-old me beating up grown men for threatening to kill children for money."

Before that was hardly worth talking about. In that time, he'd either been too busy rebelling and claiming to be a thief despite being rubbish at it, or he just plain didn't remember it.

"I typically respect others opinions..but when they say that a child should beg for forgiveness for being born while it's being murdered then I have a serious problem with that." Ace spat bitterly as he downed a glass quickly. "So you're a hero huh? Do you have a team you work with or are you a loner?" Enough about Ace, let's talk about Espio.

"So do I. But those people are the type who're all mouth. They can't hold their own in a fight. There are other ways to deal with them. ...those ways are a bit less satisfying though."

Espio seemed to stiffen as Ace brought that up, as though prepared to go on the defence.

"I had a team."

Ace notices him stiffen and winced. He hadn't meant to draw up bad memories. "Ah, sorry man. Didn't mean to dredge up bad memories." He said topping of Espio's drink and refilling his own. Losing Nakama was never easy or something quickly overcome.

Espio shook his head. "'s'fine. It's been years, after all."

"Time cushions the hurt...but it never really goes away." He does speak from experience here. He still misses Sabo terribly even though it's been 10 years.

"Would it be alright if I asked about them, or would you rather not talk about it?"

"I don't mind talking about them." He'd never really minded talking about them. "Now's just not the greatest time - it depends what you wanted to know."

Ace smiled lightly and nodded. "Whatever you're willing to share." He didn't mind much what he learned about Espio, so long as he helped the pink chameleon feel better. "I just wanna help you feel better and get to know you more. That's why I wanted us to hang out some."

"In that case, let's leave it for now. I don't feel much like talking about them at the moment."

He shrugged.

"But have you seen our ship? The Chaotix. It's not the most amazing thing you've ever seen, but it was ours."

Well. Technically, they hadn't finished paying it off, but it was almost theirs.

"No actually I haven't. I bet it's amazing. Is it here or back in your world?" Ace asked actually genuinely interested in the ship. If it was one thing he knew it was the sea and sailing Though it never registered to him that ship might be something other then a sailing boat.

"Here of course! How else would you have been able to see it? I let Garden use it, so the Ragnarok's not their only airship. That said, the Ragnarok completely outclasses it."

"Ragnarok?" Ace hadn't even heard about this ship yet either. Not he wanted to know about both of them. "I bet they're both beautiful vessels!" He also contemplated borrowing this 'Ragnarok' for a little spin if possible.

"It's Garden's main airship. And yeah, it looks pretty cool." For once, he didn't go off into a fanboy ramble about just how awesome the Ragnarok was. "Since I'm one of the pilots, I get to fly it fairly often."

"Really? Would it be possible to maybe go with you some time?! I've never been in an 'airship' before. I bet it's awesome!" Ace grinned as he leaned across the table listening avidly. Espio might not realize but he just got infinitely much cooler then he already was!